Monster, First One for Shadowdark

Monsters for my H. P. Lovecraft pastiche (or rip-off).

First One

Star headed, radially symmetrical creatures with five manipulators, five locomotors, and five wings.

AC 15, HP 45, ATK 5 arms (1d3 or weapon) or 2 kicks (1d4), MV near or near × 2 (wings), S +4, D +4, C +3, I +4, W +2, Ch +2, AL N, LV 6

Horror. All who first see a First One make a DC 12 Horror Check.

Dark Vision. Sees 360° even in absolute darkness. Cannot be surprised.

Arms. Each can handle a weapon or strike bare-tentacled for 1d3 damage. At most three arms can attack the same target.

Wings. First Ones fly clumsily in normal gravity. If they do not use their action to move, they must touch down at the end of their turn.

Amphibious. Swimming speed equal to flying speed. Can survive ocean depths.

First One Technology

Banishing Round

A lead ball or revolver cartridge with mysterious runes and patterns etched into it.

Benefit. Does damage to beings who can only be harmed by magic.

Benefit. Instantly fatal to an Outer One.

Curse. If target hits 0 HP, they will explode for Level × d6 damage.

Black Powder

A black powder smelling of sulfur.

Benefit. Used to load a Black Powder Weapon, along with a lead ball. Each shot worth of powder takes up 1/20 of a Gear Slot. Each lead balls takes up another 1/20 of a Gear Slot.

FTL Harness

A barrel-shaped harness with five slots for five wings. When powered up, a field of light surrounds the First One and envelops their wings with planes of shimmering light

Benefit. Flight at near × 4 in atmosphere, or spaceship speeds including Faster Than Light in outer space.

Curse. Works only with First One biology. Lethal to other beings.

Curse. Requires a Large Power Crystal.

Large Power Crystal

A hand-sized cylindrical crystal that glows with a greenish inner light.

Benefit. Powers the FTL Harness for 6 days of activity.

Benefit. Powers an Anti-Xothian Ray. After each shot, roll 1d100; on a 1 or 2 the crystal is drained. When drained the crystal stops glowing.

Psi Crystal

A transparent crystal about the size and shape of a human heart.

Benefit. Grants Advantage on casting the following spells: Command, Confusion, Detect Thoughts, Hold Monster, Hold Person, Sending.

Benefit. Can telepathically communicate with other beings, regardless of language. Wielder cannot read thoughts, only what another being wishes to communicate. Neither party needs to speak.

Benefit. Can mesmerize another being. Both wielder and subject make contested CHA checks. If the subject loses, they can take no actions unless ordered by the wielder. The loser can resist orders with a subsequent contested CHA check; success ends the effect. If the wielder lets go of the crystal, the effect also ends.

Curse. All benefits require the wielder to hold the crystal in one hand or other manipulator, skin contacting the surface. Gloves block all benefits.

Curse. Upon first touching the crystal, wielder must make a DC 12 CHA check or be mesmerized as above. They will take orders from the first being who successfully grasps the crystal. First Ones make the check with Advantage.

Revolver Cartridge

A device of lead and brass about the size of a small finger.

Benefit. Used to load a Revolver. Each cartridge takes up 1/30 of a Gear Slot.

Small Power Crystal

A thumb-sized cylindrical crystal that glows with a greenish inner light.

Benefit. Powers a Ray Gun. After each shot, roll 1d20; on a 1 the crystal is drained. When drained the crystal stops glowing.

Weapons

First Ones can use any weapon from the surroundings they can scavenge.

A First One may have brought the following weapons with them, or may build them in a lab.

Depletion. After every use, roll the indicated die. If a number after the colon come up, the weapon is out of energy.

Exploding Dice (ExD). On each maximum result, reroll and add.

Fire. Sets flammable targets on fire.

Large Power Crystal (LPC). Requires a Large Power Crystal.

Loading (L). You must forgo moving to reload this weapon.

Magical (Mag). Harms creatures immune to normal weapons.

Misfire (Mis). On a Natural 1, the gun misfires, doing damage to the user.

Six-Shooter (SSh). Shoots six cartridges before it has to be reloaded.

Small Power Crystal (SPC). Requires a Small Power Crystal.

Tech. DC 12 INT check to figure out. First Ones need not check.

Technology Percentile (TP). Percentage chance that a First One will have all elements to create the weapon in question. Roll with Advantage if the First One is in a laboratory of their own kind. Roll with Disadvantage if the First One is in a cave with a bunch of scraps.

Three-handed (3H). Requires three arms or a tripod to lift and steady.

Appendix: Sources

Inspiration comes from the works of H. P. Lovecraft, Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu RPG, 7th edition, by diverse hands, Chaosium’s Beyond the Mountains of Madness for Call of Cthulhu, Battlefield Press’s Eldritch Skies by John Snead, and Charles Stross’s Laundry Files series (and the RPG based on them).

All quotes below copyrighted by whoever owns the rights to At the Mountains of Madness these days.

Elder Thing a.k.a. Old One

“Objects are eight feet long all over. Six-foot five-ridged barrel torso 3.5 feet central diameter, 1 foot end diameters. Dark grey, flexible, and infinitely tough. Seven-foot membraneous wings of same colour, found folded, spread out of furrows between ridges. Wing framework tubular or glandular, of lighter grey, with orifices at wing tips. Spread wings have serrated edge. Around equator, one at central apex of each of the five vertical, stave-like ridges, are five systems of light grey flexible arms or tentacles found tightly folded to torso but expansible to maximum length of over 3 feet. Like arms of primitive crinoid. Single stalks 3 inches diameter branch after 6 inches into five sub-stalks, each of which branches after 8 inches into five small, tapering tentacles or tendrils, giving each stalk a total of 25 tentacles.

“At top of torso blunt bulbous neck of lighter grey with gill-like suggestions holds yellowish five-pointed starfish-shaped apparent head covered with three-inch wiry cilia of various prismatic colours. Head thick and puffy, about 2 feet point to point, with three-inch flexible yellowish tubes projecting from each point. Slit in exact centre of top probably breathing aperture. At end of each tube is spherical expansion where yellowish membrane rolls back on handling to reveal glassy, red-irised globe, evidently an eye. Five slightly longer reddish tubes start from inner angles of starfish-shaped head and end in sac-like swellings of same colour which upon pressure open to bell-shaped orifices 2 inches maximum diameter and lined with sharp white tooth-like projections. Probable mouths. All these tubes, cilia, and points of starfish-head found folded tightly down; tubes and points clinging to bulbous neck and torso. Flexibility surprising despite vast toughness.

“At bottom of torso rough but dissimilarly functioning counterparts of head arrangements exist. Bulbous light-grey pseudo-neck, without gill suggestions, holds greenish five-pointed starfish-arrangement. Tough, muscular arms 4 feet long and tapering from 7 inches diameter at base to about 2.5 at point. To each point is attached small end of a greenish five-veined membraneous triangle 8 inches long and 6 wide at farther end. This is the paddle, fin, or pseudo-foot which has made prints in rocks from a thousand million to fifty or sixty million years old. From inner angles of starfish-arrangement project two-foot reddish tubes tapering from 3 inches diameter at base to 1 at tip. Orifices at tips. All these parts infinitely tough and leathery, but extremely flexible. Four-foot arms with paddles undoubtedly used for locomotion of some sort, marine or otherwise. When moved, display suggestions of exaggerated muscularity. As found, all these projections tightly folded over pseudo-neck and end of torso, corresponding to projections at other end.

– At the Mountains of Madness, H. P. Lovecraft